Wind and Solar Leasing in Lynn County, Texas

Tahoka Wind: 300 megawatts, a Merrill Lynch PPA, and an ownership chain worth knowing

Tahoka Wind is a 300-megawatt onshore wind project built entirely within Lynn County, using 120 GE 2.5-127 turbines -- generating enough power, per the developer's own figures, to supply roughly 95,000 homes a year. The project was originally developed by Lincoln Clean Energy, which closed construction and term financing with Morgan Stanley in January 2018, alongside long-term tax equity financing from BHE Renewables (a Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary) and a corporate power-purchase agreement with Merrill Lynch. Later in 2018, Ørsted acquired Lincoln Clean Energy, meaning the entity that developed and financed the project is not the same one that owns and operates it today. For a Lynn County landowner with an existing lease tied to this project, that ownership change is a practical reminder that lease administration, maintenance-access coordination, and payment processing may run through a different company than the one originally named on the lease document -- worth confirming current ownership and contact information directly rather than assuming the original developer is still the operator.

The project's reported fiscal footprint is also specific and checkable: Tahoka Wind has been described as generating more than $2 million a year in combined landowner lease payments and local property taxes for Lynn County communities. That figure comes from developer-side reporting around the project's financing close rather than an audited county financial statement, so a buyer weighing it as evidence of the county's fiscal health should ask the Lynn County Appraisal District or Auditor for current, verified numbers rather than treating the developer's figure as an official county record.

Sage Draw Wind: a second, larger project sharing the county line

Sage Draw Wind is a 338-megawatt project developed and completed by Ørsted in April 2020, using 120 GE 2.8-127 turbines and straddling the Garza-Lynn county line -- meaning any Lynn County parcel near that boundary should specifically check which side of the line a given turbine, access road, or substation actually sits on when reviewing existing infrastructure or a new lease proposal nearby. The project includes a 250-megawatt power-purchase agreement with ExxonMobil, and at the time of its completion, Sage Draw brought Ørsted's total US onshore operating wind capacity to roughly 1.3 gigawatts -- context for the scale of the company managing this particular project relative to a smaller, single-project developer.

Together, Tahoka Wind and Sage Draw Wind put a combined 638 megawatts of utility-scale wind capacity, and 240 turbines, into or immediately adjacent to Lynn County -- a real, substantial buildout rather than a scattering of a handful of turbines. For a landowner evaluating a new lease offer from a different developer, that existing density is worth asking about directly: a new project's substation, transmission interconnection, and access-road plans may depend on proximity to this existing infrastructure, which can affect where on a given tract turbines are actually sited.

What this means before signing a new lease in Lynn County

1. Ask any company approaching you about a new lease which existing Lynn County project (if any) they're affiliated with, and confirm current ownership of Tahoka Wind and Sage Draw Wind directly with Ørsted rather than assuming the original developer names still apply.
2. Have a landowner-side attorney experienced in Texas wind and solar leases review payment structure, term length, decommissioning-bond provisions, and turbine-setback distances from your residence and property lines before signing -- these terms are not standardized across projects, even within the same county.
3. Ask the Lynn County Appraisal District how an existing or proposed wind lease, and any associated turbine pads, substations, or access roads, affects the parcel's appraised value and agricultural-valuation status.
4. If your land adjoins existing Tahoka Wind or Sage Draw Wind infrastructure without being part of the lease, confirm noise, shadow-flicker, and access-road provisions that could affect a non-participating neighboring parcel -- Lynn County's lack of general zoning means these questions are more likely governed by the project's own agreements and applicable state rules than by a county ordinance.